Chapter 731
An Encounter with Longbottom
Chapter 731 An Encounter with Longbottom
Seeing the patient return to a confused state, therapist Elliott strode in and sighed helplessly.
"Dumbledore, I'm afraid visiting hours are coming to an end."
She glanced sympathetically at Slughorn, who was talking to himself, and whispered, "Such intense emotional fluctuations are not good for his recovery."
Dumbledore nodded and whispered to Wade, "Wade, may I ask you to leave behind one of the puppets?"
He looked at Slughorn, who was still holding the cheetah's arm, and said, "The company of these little guys... seems to be more effective than tranquilizers."
With the puppet by his side, even though Slughorn was in a state of confusion, he no longer hid himself in fear.
"Of course, Professor."
Wade waved his hand, and the other puppets jumped off the hospital bed and crawled into the wardrobe space one by one, while the cheetah slowly wagged its tail twice, still lying on the bed, only letting out a low growl.
Wade walked over and stroked its chin, saying, "Thank you for your hard work, little guy... take good care of him."
The slender tail wrapped around his wrist, as if making a promise.
Dumbledore watched this scene quietly.
Harry sighed with a hint of envy—he also had a puppet pet, a very cute lion that was usually well-behaved and obedient, but would occasionally mischievously leave a few gray paw prints on his textbooks. He had gotten into the habit of playing with the little guy for a while every night before going to bed.
But the puppet pets are completely different from the puppets that accompany Vader. Although both are affectionate and intelligent, the former is like a smart and obedient cat in the house, while the latter is like a companion that cannot speak.
They look similar, but they are actually completely different.
The healer's face showed a hint of conflict. She looked at the puppet's enormous size, then at Slughorn's somewhat dependent posture, and finally said:
"Alright... let's keep it then... although it doesn't comply with regulations, but... well, let's just consider it a special medical tool... can you guarantee that this leopard won't hurt anyone?"
She had also watched the live broadcast of the match and knew that this seemingly coquettish big guy actually possessed terrifying fighting power capable of tearing people apart instantly.
But at the same time, Elliott also knew that this leopard was both a puppet and a beast, a loyal soldier in Wade Grey's hands, and a battle hero who had fought against Voldemort.
Her complicated identity and different race made her think carefully even about whether she could speak loudly in front of it.
“Of course,” Wade said confidently.
After thinking for a moment, he added, "...if no one deliberately provokes it?"
Therapist: "..."
As the therapist stared at the cheetah puppet, wondering if he could persuade the patient to let go of it, Dumbledore led the two men quickly out of the ward.
As soon as he entered the corridor, he hid the crystal bottle in the inner pocket of his robe. The silver light flowed slowly, radiating a pearly luster.
"Professor," Harry couldn't help but ask curiously, "what is this?"
Dumbledore said solemnly, "This is an important piece of the puzzle, the key to everything, and the reason why Voldemort captured and tortured Horace."
Harry stared at the headmaster with great curiosity, hoping he would reveal more secrets, but Dumbledore only sighed deeply:
"Poor Horace... He hid for decades, but in the end, he couldn't escape..."
He muttered to himself, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes, before changing the subject after a moment: "Speaking of which, today's mission is over. Would you like to go upstairs for a cup of tea?" "Let's not," Wade shook his head. "When it comes to tea, I prefer a relaxed and leisurely environment."
The tea room must have been filled with all sorts of strange patients, the air thick with the pain of being tormented by illness. In that environment, no matter how much sugar you add to black tea, it will taste bitter.
Harry remembered the patient who had been spitting soap bubbles before and quickly shook his head.
The group headed toward the elevator. The walls on both sides of the corridor were adorned with portraits of many famous therapists who, whenever they were awake, were passionate about treating passersby.
As the three passed by, one of the old men suddenly stood up excitedly from his seat, his goatee bristling, and he banged on the picture frame, shouting:
"Stop right there, you kid with the scar on your forehead! You've got branding sympathy!"
“A brand… what?” Harry couldn’t help but ask.
"Sympathy by Imprint!" the old man with the goatee shouted, his eyes wide. "It will cause sensory disturbances, hallucinations, and in severe cases, even madness—"
“Don’t listen to his nonsense.” Wade grabbed Harry’s arm and dragged him forward. “These are all ancient relics from hundreds of years ago…”
"Child, you need to stick the inner membrane of the snake egg to your forehead, and then soak it in snail mucus!"
The old wizard's voice came from behind: "If you need my treatment, you'll have to give me at least two gold coins!"
Before the words were finished, the door in front of them opened, and an old witch in a green robe walked out. As she left, she turned back to the people inside and said, "Rest well. Next time you come, Neville and I will be coming together..."
Upon hearing the familiar name, Wade and the other turned to look, and at the same time, the old witch also turned around.
She carried an unsightly reddish-brown bag on her arm, and her pointed hat was decorated with a lifelike vulture specimen. Her gray-white hair was perfectly styled.
Dumbledore smiled and said, "Good afternoon, Augusta. I never expected to meet you today."
“Albus,” Mrs. Longbottom nodded slightly, straightening her back, and said, “It’s a pleasure to see you, especially with what you’ve been up to lately… Oh!”
She lowered her gaze, saw Wade and the other person, seemed slightly surprised, and then proactively extended her hand:
“Hello, Wade Gray. I want to thank you. Neville told me you helped him a lot at school. That necklace, you lent it to him, right? It helped us a lot, I don’t know how to thank you enough…”
Wade quickly grasped her hand and said softly, "You're too kind, Mrs. Longbottom. Neville has also been a great help to me."
"Oh, that child is still lacking... far from it... lacking his father's talent, but he's a good child, isn't he?"
"I'm so glad to see you're still healthy, my child... I must say, you were incredibly brave when you faced that man—just like your father!" said Mrs. Longbottom with pride, then extended her hand to Harry.
For Harry, this was almost the highest praise. He quickly shook hands with the other person and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you for your compliment."
When Mrs. Longbottom looked at them, her sharp gaze softened somewhat. Suddenly, she turned to look into the ward and raised her voice, calling out:
"Frank, Alice! Come out and see these two young men! They did what you couldn't do back then!"
Wade's heart leaped into his throat, while Harry stared at the ward with a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment.
A moment later, dragging footsteps sounded from inside, and the ward door opened in response—
Two middle-aged people, a man and a woman, with sickly faces and gray hair, supported each other as they slowly walked out.
(End of this chapter)